Team Herald
PANJIM: Protesting against the “unauthorised” road widening work being undertaken in St Sebastian ward, Anjuna residents on Sunday confronted Calangute MLA Michael Lobo and his wife Siolim MLA Delilah Lobo, seeking answers on the potential risks to their houses.
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The panicked people sought to know whether their houses would be damaged as heavy earth moving machinery was pressed into service in the last few days demolishing several compounds.
Michael and Delilah tried to convince the locals that no houses would be touched and that only roadside illegal structures would be demolished since the Kumbharwado road was too narrow and accident prone.
Locals strongly condemned the attitude of the local panchayat whereby notices were served on May 8 specifying 15 days and demolition was carried out the very next day.
The Calangute MLA informed the crowd that this drive was strictly as per the High Court directives that all roadside structures need to be razed.
The protesters demanded to see the work order before allowing work to continue, but the Lobos refused to halt it, promising to present the order on Monday. Michael Lobo challenged protesters to obtain a stay order.
Protestors numbering around 300 refused to budge and opposed the road widening.
Tension rent the air when Michael asked the protestors to get a stay order else the work would continue. Attempts were made to stop the JCB from carrying out the work. However, the work resumed later, leaving the locals agitated. They demanded that the work be stopped immediately, but the Lobos insisted on carrying on with it.
Michael Lobo assured the protestors that the work order would be provided to them and clarified that presently only 1 metre on either side is going to be widened and subsequently the entire road would be just 9 to 10 metre wide.
People questioned the demolition of the chapel compound and demanded to know why heritage structures were being destroyed on one side, while on the other a heritage festival was being
organised.
